The DePaul Blue Demons travel to Evanston, IL to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. Read more for the full DePaul vs Northwestern prediction and preview.
DePaul comes off their second-straight conference loss, this time against the St. John’s Red Storm by a score of 61-89 on the road.
On Saturday, the Wildcats host their third of four straight home games. They come off two straight wins against the Illinois Fighting Illini (70-66) and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (71-60).
General Information:
Teams:Â DePaul (8-3, 0-2 Big East) and Northwestern (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten)
Tip-Off:Â 3 p.m. CST (4 p.m. EST)
Where to Watch:Â Big Ten Network
Latest on Northwestern basketball:
The team’s most recent win was against Georgia Tech. In this game, the team only played a total of seven players, which is unheard of in most circles. This resulted in only four bench points for Northwestern.
The team was led by Brooks Barnhizer against the Yellow Jackets. He scored 20 points and tallied a double-double with 10 rebounds. He also contributed with 3 assists, steals, and blocks. He was truly the MVP of the game. He shot 6-18 (33.3%) from the field, 2-5 (40%) from beyond the arc, and 6-10 (60%) from the free-throw line.
The team also boasted a pair of 16-point scorers Nick Martinelli and Jalen Leach. Martinelli was another all-around player with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal in the 71-60 victory. He shot 7-12 (58.3%) overall and 2-3 (66.7%) from long range.
Leach shot 5-16 (31.2%) in total, 2-7 (28.6%) from beyond the three-point line, and 4-4 (100%) from the charity strike.
As a team, the Wildcats shot 40% from the field and 40.9% from beyond the arc. They also obliterated their opponents in transition, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 19-0.
The team is coached by Chris Collins who has been with the program since 2013.
Latest on DePaul basketball:
The Blue Demons come off a rough, 61-89 loss to the St. John’s Red Storm.
Layden Blocker led the team in scoring with 17 points coming off the bench, with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in the loss. He shot 5-11 (45.4%) from the field and 7-10 (70%) from the free-throw line.
Against St. John’s, DePaul shot a poor 30% from beyond the arc. Yet they also forced that same stat for their opponents. The biggest factor, however, in the loss, was the 20 turnovers the team committed. This led to the Red Storm outscoring their opponents 27-8 in transition.
Six of those turnovers were committed by Conor Enright, who leads the Big East Conference in turnovers with 3.5 per game. This will be a tough matchup against the Wildcats, who are seventh in the Big Ten conference in steals, averaging 7.7 per game.
This is the 21st time these two schools will face each other, with the road team holding the all-time series lead 21-16. However, the Wildcats have won six of the last seven matchups, including winning the last two straight.
DePaul vs Northwestern prediction: Wildcats by 9
This will be a tough matchup for the Blue Demons, and likely their strongest non-conference opponent this season. Despite the Wildcats boasting the second-worst scoring offense in their conference (72.8 points), their defense is their true threat.
The Wildcats have the fourth-best scoring defense in the Big Ten, allowing an average of 64.2 points per game. To come out of this matchup with a win, DePaul will need to limit their turnovers and make sure to score the ball from wherever possible. Whether that be from beyond the arc or in the paint. This will be their toughest opponent outside their conference so the team will have to bring their best game plans if they want to return to Chicago with a win.
As for the Wildcats, they face a Blue Demons squad that can have any one of their players lead them in scoring, and a bench unit that can fire on all cylinders. This team also is second in the Big East in terms of assists per game with 18.8. For the Wildcats, to seal this win, they have to trap Enright and force him to make mistakes. This truly will be a tough one for either side.